Waternola

What in the world are calories and why are they here? We need them, But we can’t have too much of them. They’re healthy and unhealthy at the same time. But they don’t even really exist as the word itself is just a form of measurement. So why many people are obsessing over their calorie count? And why do some people don’t even know what they are? Why fast-food joints taking so much heat on producing food with gazillions of them? What is it really all about? Today, we hope to clear all misconceptions and set the record straight. We’ve abridged most of the things to know about calories, broken them down to the simplest terms and came up with this concise, but highly informative, FAQ.

1. What is calorie? A calorie is a unit of energy. It is recommended that we consume a regular amount of calories on a daily basis for us to function. Different kinds of foods contain different number of calories. Here are the basics: one gram of carbohydrates contain four calories, one gram of protein also has four and one gram of fat equals nine.
2. Can a person just have one source of calories? Yes, a person can but they shouldn’t. A balanced diet is always suggested. Ideally, about 50 percent of the calorie intake should come from carbs, 20 percent from protein and 30 percent from fat. However, fat is tricky. We should consume fat from monounsaturated sources. Otherwise is unhealthy.
3. What happens to calories? When we eat, food is broken down by the digestive system and is either used up through cellular and physical activities. When we walk, breathe or just move any part of our body, a small amount is being burned. The unused energy is stored as body fat. Roughly 3,500 stored calories equates to a pound of body fat.
4. Do we burn calories at the same rate? No, Different people have different metabolisms. It’s genetic. The basal metabolism rate is computed differently for men and women. On an average, a moderately active person will burn 2,000 to 2,300 calories a day. Therefore, that’s how much we should consume.
5. How much calories are we consuming? You can always check the nutrition facts on the label or online. But just a rough idea; McDonald’s Big Mac has 590 calories, a tall Starbucks caramel Macchiato has 228.
6. How do we burn calories? Constant movement actually burns calories (although not as much as exercising). You can burn as much as 500 more calories a day just by keeping your limbs on the move even when you’re resting.
7. How do we watch our calories? There are some low-cal foods that we can substitute for other high-cal foods. Barley tops this list. Other raw vegetables are also great, like carrots, lettuce and salad greens. Grapes, apples and bananas are just some of the fruits that you can snack on in lieu of sinful delights.
8. Are there other calorie roundabouts? As a matter of fact, yes. You can opt to eat spicy foods because spices help jerk our metabolism and burn more calories. You can also try eating small frequent meals ( a common diet plan) because smaller portions distributed throughout the day are easier to digest, making the calories easier to burn.
9. Should we count our calories? In the perfect world, no. But if you are looking to gain or lose weight, counting calories is an effective aid in doing so. Still, it’s not to be done on it’s own. A proper diet and exercise should still be the focus.
10. What are the benefits of limiting calorie intake? There is no substantial proof on the positive side of restricting calories aside from weight loss. There is a study, however, that suggested that doing so can extend the lifespan of a person by 20 percent. Keep in mind that calories are energy. We all need energy.